Jack White: Music Business Maven or Artist On The Run

For a man who has made his name as the standard-bearer for all things analog in the 21st Century, it is somehow fitting that Jack White’s recent profusion owes much to the digital revolution. The speed and suddenness which makes the modern musical cycle so immediate has granted White a license to not only indulge his creative whims but to unleash them almost instantaneously. Between blogs, digital distribution and social network outlets, White can spread the word about his latest project almost as soon as he finishes dreaming it up. And lately, many of White’s dreams have become very real, very quickly.

One of the unwritten rules for artists with the kind of rare international status Jack White has attained is to limit your output, to starve the “market” until your worldwide marketing plans permit. Artists such as U2, Springsteen and REM have proven the effectiveness of this idea over time, but after years of maintaining relatively “professional” distance between releases, White has thrown out the manual for managing superstar status in favor of following his muse. There are cautionary tales, Ryan Adams for one, of artists whose voluminous release schedule has eventually resulted in fan backlash, or worse, ambivalence, but so far Jack White has managed to maintain critical acclaim and audience interest despite a wide range of artistic endeavors. Just look at the last two years.

At the end of 2007 White wrapped up a world tour with the White Stripes behind their last album Icky Thump, a tour that has since produced a soon-to-be-released documentary. This was quickly followed by a second release from his “other band” the Raconteurs Consolers of the Lonely, followed in turn by another world tour, the end of which resulted in the formation of another new band, The Dead Weather (featuring Alison Mosshart of The Kills). During that same period White bought a rundown building in his adopted hometown of Nashville, and set up shop, literally, for his label Third Man records creating a musical complex which houses a recording studio, office space, performance space/photography studio and a small, vinyl-only record shop. White was also tapped in 2009 to be a member of the inaugural Nashville Music Council (along with the city’s Mayor Karl Dean, Emmylou Harris and other local luminaries) and of course, he has his most important “project,” being the father of two young children. Add to this the news that White will soon be making music with Meg again, not to mention rumors of a solo album, as well as various one-off projects, his appearance in the recently released music documentary It Might Get Loud, production work, soundtrack work, and collaborations, and you have one of the most furious, frenetic and successful creative periods we have seen from any musical artist in the modern era. The case can easily be made that, when it comes time to name an “Artist of the Decade,” it would be hard to find someone more deserving than Jack White. Somehow, amongst all this madness, White also found the time to talk to American Songwriter about his various projects and plans.

So you’ve been pretty busy lately.

Yeah, yeah. I’ve been quite busy. The last five days I’ve been in Kentucky, Michigan, Toronto, New York, and now I’m in L.A, so… [laughs].

So…

Crazy.